I've managed to pick up an ear infection (guessing from our pool antics) so I wake up and head straight to the chemist where I buy antibiotic drops over the counter for 50p. I also have a mouth ulcer, I'm starting to feel like I have a cold coming and the Imodium has sent me a little too far in the opposite direction! Staying healthy in India is proving a challenge!!! I am craving fruit, vegetables and anything non spicy! Apart from all of the above I'm still having an awesome time (and as Bron would say - at least I still have my ears, a mouth and digestive system).
Erin, Ricky, Geoff and Laura all get up at 7am this morning for an Ashtanga yoga class on the roof (I bow out graciously) and we meet for breakfast before loading up our jeep which will take us to Ranakpur.
Before we leave we try and stop at the Ray Ban shop however in the space of 10 minutes we have hit a car (the jeep had no scratch however the car was not so lucky). We are expecting to spend the next 30mins completing paperwork however just drive off with the other driver being slightly miffed. We then get caught in honking traffic while some people try and tame an angry bull - so it's a typical start to the day in India.
I know we are nearby so I try and find the 'Danny De Vito' lookalike I met yesterday selling textiles. I achieve this by showing other shop owners his photo and they all point me in the right direction. I find it amazing that despite Udaipur having a population of 400,000, everyone knows one another and the sense of community is ever strong.
We leave Udaipur and head out onto a rural track road. Our 2.5hr journey finds us in the middle of nowhere and a forest where we are staying at a place called Aranyawas. The resort is made up of a series of grey stone cottages that overlook a beautiful freshwater stream and green valley. It reminds me of a B&B in Howick, South Africa. I love it here and wish we were staying for longer than one night. The change of pace is wonderful.
Apparently there were two panthers and their cubs playing in the stream a few weeks back and I'm super jealous that I missed it. The panthers cause big problems for the owners here and they have killed two of their own pet dogs recently. I don't think George would last long! Sat on our balconies Laura, Michael and I scout the surrounds in the hope of seeing something and Laura manages to spot a mongoose whilst I only manage some chipmunks and a variety of beautiful birds. Sitting in the sun on the balcony overlooking the valley, with the water softly trickling in front is one of my highlights of the whole trip. It's hard to believe that I'm still in the same country as Delhi!
At 3pm Johannes, Laura, Ricky and I head out further into the forest on a horse safari. My horse is called Kulyani. At first she's rather feisty but after a while I am holding the reins tightly and keeping her under control (with the help of a guide). Ricky is totally at ease on horseback. He has told us many stories about when he used to run horseback tours near his home and he still actively plays polo (Prince Harry is due to play his team sometime soon).
We trot past rural homes, made of basic materials mostly sticks and mud. Goats are herded by small kids into the family small holdings with women cooking over wood fires in cauldrons. We pass buffalo, parrots in the trees and peacocks. The children and adults come running out to say hello and "bye bye" to us.
There is a small group of children, immaculately dressed in uniform, walking home from school and they are totally mesmerised by us. Ricky explains that they will very rarely see Western people so they must have followed us for miles! Eventually the boy in the group plucks up the courage to get my attention, point at his text book and make a sign for a pen. I say that I'm so sorry I don't have one and shake my head. He looks disappointed but he still follows us smiling and doesn't ask for money. Eventually we stop for a water break and I open my bag. Underneath the tissues, water bottle, money purse and camera I can see a MasterCard Priceless London pen lurking at the bottom. I ask Ricky if I can give it to him (taking into account what he'd said about encouraging begging and I'm so glad he said this is different as it's for school and education). I call the boy over and hand over the pen.
His reaction gives me a lump in my throat and I am, again, humbled that something I take for granted is so appreciated here. He stares at it, turning and twisting it in his fingers , admiring it, trying to read the writing and then excitedly opens his text book to check it's working. When the black ink scores into the paper I've never seen such a genuine look of wonder and gratitude on someone's face. It really was like I'd just given him a million dollars.
Ricky tells me that the boy will go into school and tell everyone that a foreign lady gave him the pen and no one will believe him. He said that his school friends will ask the guys who own the horses to confirm that he's telling the truth. I really wish I'd taken more pens.
We're out on the horses for 2.5hrs and watch the sun set. It's an 11km jeep ride back to our base where we chill out for a while and then head to dinner. This is an upmarket resort and they stock Indian red and white wine. Michael and I hit the red and are pleasantly surprised with the quality! After a buffet dinner we start another campfire listening to beautiful chill out music and chat animatedly together. The pet dogs come and sit with us and enjoy getting lots of fuss. We're eventually joined by an elderly Indian man who lives in Ilford and is here on holiday. With him he has his friend of 20years and an older plumper lady called Lolita. We offer them some rum and he asks lots of questions about our trip. He says he's so pleased to meet some English people willing and interested in learning about India and it's people. He tells us he hates wrongly being called a "Paki" back home and how badly educated most people are about Indian culture. Just as I'm saying what a lovely man he is, Lolita gets up and walks off. The elderly chap and his friend say their goodbyes and leave shortly after wishing us all well. Ricky explains that Lolita is in fact a prostitute and he'd asked for her to be locked in his room which raises some laughs and disbelief from the group!! He must have been at least 85...
After three bottles of red wine, shared with Michael & Erin, plus the obligatory rum / vodka I am definitely ready for my bed. Erin suggests we all sleep by the pool under the stars but I'm already pretty chilly (12 degrees at night here) so I say my good nights and head back to the cottage feeling a little worse for wear now on a number of levels...
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